Watch the skills gap

See how U.S. executives see the skills gap impacting the American workforce.

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With the unemployment rate still persistently high and the number of people looking for jobs picking up, you might think that finding your next quality hire will be easy. However, according to our recent poll of more than 500 senior executives, you might want to think again. That’s because there is a severe skills gap in the American workforce. To learn more, view our infographic:

The skills gap is real – and so are the consequences.

According to our survey, 92 percent of executives think that American workers aren't as skilled as they need to be. As a result, nearly half (45 percent) feel that they are missing out on growth opportunities, while 34 percent feel that product development is suffering and 30 percent think that company profits are being hurt.

Soft skills versus hard skills – where’s the gap?

The fact that there is a skills gap probably comes as little surprise to you. However, what might come as a surprise is which skills are lacking among U.S. workers.

Forty-four percent of the executives we surveyed think Americans are lacking soft skills – communication, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, etc. Thus, while candidates may look good “on paper,” they don’t know how to effectively work within a team or in an office.

That’s what makes it so important to look beyond the resume when making a hiring decision. You need evaluate everything a candidate brings to the table, including skills, personality and attitude.

Evaluating availability within the skills gap.

When evaluating the current job market, it helps to work with individuals who have their finger on the pulse of the current state of the job market. To this end, there are many benefits to working with a staffing agency.

At Adecco, we help you make more informed hiring decisions through our AdeccoXpert assessment system. AdeccoXpert has three components – can do, will do and will fit - which measure skills, motivation and compatibility, respectively.

To learn more about AdeccoXpert and how we can help you overcome the skills gap, contact Adecco today.